| 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines | |
|---|---|
 3/2 Insignia | |
| Active |
-18 January 1941 – 27 March 1946 -28 December 1950 – present |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Light infantry |
| Role | Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver |
| Part of |
2nd Marine Regiment 2nd Marine Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune |
| Nickname(s) | "Betio Bastards" |
| Motto(s) |
"We quell the storm, and ride the thunder!" "Unus Supra(one above)" Most Recently: "Strength and Honor" |
| Colors | Red, Black, & Gold |
| Engagements |
World War II * Battle of Guadalcanal * Battle of Tarawa * Battle of Saipan * Battle of Tinian * Battle of Okinawa Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Operation Iraqi Freedom * 2003 invasion of Iraq Operation Enduring Freedom |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Col Charles R Cassidy |
3rd Battalion 2nd Marines (3/2) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. Nicknamed the "Betio Bastards," they fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division.
Subordinate units[]
- H&S Company
- India Company
- Kilo Company
- Lima Company
- Weapons Company
History[]
World War II[]
Activated 18 January 1941 at San Diego, California. They were assigned to the 2nd Marine Brigade during February 1941. Deployed to Koro Island with the 2nd Marine Division in June 1942. The battalion participated in the following World War II campaigns:
Following the war the battalion stood occupation duty in Kagoshima, Japan until February 1946 when they redeployed to Camp Pendleton, California. The battalion was deactivated on 27 March 1946.
Post World War II history[]
3/2 was reactivated on 28 December 1950 at Camp Pendleton, and were again assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. They deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962
The battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia in August 1990 and participated in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991. In 1994 they participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise.
Lance Corporal Rother incident[]
Lance Corporal Jason Rother was a Marine from 3/2 who became lost in the Mojave Desert and unable to be found by his chain of command after an extensive search in August 1988 and died from dehydration and exposure.
Global War on Terror[]
In 2003, 3/2 deployed to Kuwait as part of Task Force Tarawa and beginning in March supported Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion participated in the battle of Nasiriyah. During this deployment 3/2 had 1 Marine killed in action.
During 2004, 3/2 was designated as the AT (anti-terrorism) battalion and was assigned to different areas around the globe. The battalion was spread between Afghanistan, Djibouti, and Cuba.
The battalion again deployed to Iraq in February 2005. The battalion launched major combat operations Operation Matador, Operation Spear, and Operation Quick Strike. They conducted security and stabilization operations in Al Anbar Province until September 2005. During this deployment 3/2 had 3 Marines killed in action.
The battalion again deployed to Iraq in the July 2006. They conducted security and stabilization operations in the Al Anbar Province in the city of Habbaniyah until mid February 2007. During this deployment the battalion had 14 Marines killed in action. .[1]
The battalion again deployed to Iraq in October 2007 operating in the Al Qaim region of the Al Anbar Province with Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army. During this deployment the battalion suffered a few casualties, and had a widespread area of operation along the Syrian border and Euphrates river.[2] The Battalion again deployed to the Persian Gulf in May–December 2009 as the Battalion Landing Team for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. In January 2010 the battalion was dispatched as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to take part in the relief effort following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
In February 2011, 3/2 was deployed to the Musa Qal'eh and Now Zad districts of Helmand Province, Afghanistan to engage in combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 3/2 returned in September 2011.
Actress Mila Kunis attended 3/2's Marine Corps ball after the unit returned from Afghanistan in October 2011.
Desecration of corpses in Afghanistan[]
In January 2012 members of the battalion were identified as having been involved in the alleged desecration of corpses in Afghanistan. A video was posted on YouTube showing three Marines urinating on Afghan corpses.[3]
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ "Honoring those who give us freedom: 3/2 remembers fallen". Marine Corps News. USMC. http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/ABC308B18602459E852572B1006182C2?opendocument. Retrieved 2 April 2007.[dead link]
- ↑ Cpl Hall, Billy. "3rd Bn., 2nd Marines hits ground running". Marine Corps News. USMC. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071113233730/http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/ad983156332a819185256cb600677af3/48b9fd609c498fef8525738c004db13c?OpenDocument. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ↑ "US military identifies all four 'urinating' Marines". BBC News. 13 January 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16552649. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- Web
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The original article can be found at 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines and the edit history here.